Together Alone
by Darthanne
Summary: A day of teaching in a local school turns out to be not quite the experience Alex was expecting when he happens across an experiment being conducted by and old enemy of the Tomorrow People. (A Tears in Heaven story )
1. Chapter One

Together Alone (1/?)

by Anne Olsen

Rating/Warnings: OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) – PG13 – action, drama, angst, romance, slash, het. SPOILERS. 

Author's notes: This fic is part of the Tears in Heaven series which can be found here – 

It also contains SPOILERS, as I'm writing the series out of order, and 'Together Alone' is set about three years after the last posted story 'Murphy's Law'. 

Adam and Lisa are now married and have a son, Will. Jade and Megabyte have been a couple since the events of 'Reality Bytes', and Kevin and Alex finally admitted their feelings towards each other in 'Fairest Joys Give Most Unrest'. 

Pairings: Kevin/Alex, Megabyte/Jade, Adam/Lisa. 

Summary: A day of teaching in a local school turns out to be not quite the experience Alex was expecting when he happens across an experiment being conducted by an old enemy of the Tomorrow People. 

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People belong to Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra and ITV television. Stargate SG1 are owned by Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Products. Highlander is the property of Panzer/Davis, Rysher/Gaumount Television. 

I promise to return the characters in one piece, more or less, when I'm finished, but hold no liability for any physical injury or psychological trauma sustained by them in my fiction. 

Alex MacDonald belongs to me and shouldn't be used without permission. 

Thanks to: The beta reading team – Lady Shadowphyre (TiH's godmother), Meg, haraamis and Anon. 

[ ] indicates telepathy

Please send comments to: anneo @ paradise.net.nz

=====================================================

Chapter One

August 2003

Alex reached for one of the glass cups on the bench of the staff room and wondered which one of the unmarked pottery canisters contained the coffee. Why staff rooms never seemed to label anything was beyond him. 

"Looking for tea or coffee?" asked Kristine, the blonde woman who taught the New Entrants class that he'd been assigned to. Surprisingly, fifteen five-year-olds had been easier to cope with than Alex had anticipated.

"Coffee."

After pointing to the middle canister, Kristine began to help herself to the milk. "So how are you enjoying it so far, Alex?" she asked.

Alex chose his words carefully as he piled the sugar on top of the coffee granules, and then added the hot water. He remembered how nervous he'd been before leaving home that morning, and Kevin's concern. "It's been interesting," Alex replied, smiling. "Actually, to tell the truth, it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be."

"The first time is the scariest," Kristine told him. She smiled. "The more often you do it, the easier it gets." 

The sound of voices heralded the arrival of the other teachers, and Alex retreated to one of the chairs along the side of the room to soak up both the warmth of his steaming coffee and the background heat from the old radiators. Some of these older schools had hardly changed since he'd attended them himself. He couldn't help but chuckle; it was hardly that long ago. After all, he'd only left college the year before.

At least, there hadn't been very many faces to remember with this being a small school. When Alex had been introduced earlier that morning, Rob had asked him where he had left his car. Alex had simply said that he had used public transport and allowed Rob to draw his own conclusions. 

His musings were interrupted by the arrival of Roger Henderson, the school principal. The dark-skinned man who'd entered with him was talking enthusiastically, and Alex had the strange feeling that he had seen him somewhere before. 

/I'm going to be pleased when this experiment is finished, and he can go on his way./ Roger's thoughts reflected his growing annoyance.

Experiment? Alex hadn't meant to eavesdrop but Roger had been broadcasting so loudly that he couldn't help but overhear. 

Both men stopped talking and glanced around the room. They were looking for a spare seat, Alex realised, remembering that there were two empty seats next to him. This was all that he needed. He had no show of ignoring Roger's thoughts now. Someone needed to tell the man to turn the volume down.

"Good morning, young man," said the newcomer, helping himself to the seat on Alex's right. His British accent was difficult to miss. Alex shivered but wasn't sure why. Again a sense of familiarity swept over him but he knew that /_he'd/_ never met the man.

British. Could that be the clue? Maybe the memories coming to the surface weren't his but Kevin's. Alex still didn't fully understand the psychic bond between them, but this wouldn't be the first time that this had happened. When he'd told his parents about his relationship with Kevin, the other boy's memories of /_his/_ parents had mingled with Alex's own.

Balancing a cup of tea in one hand and a chocolate biscuit in the other, Roger took a seat on the remaining chair. "Professor Galt," he said, "I see you've met our student teacher." 

Alex grew cold. No wonder that he'd reacted when he had seen the man. Kevin had showed him what had happened when he and the other Tomorrow People had first met, and how Galt had been instrumental in Master's plan to capture them. 

[Are you okay, Alex?] Alex felt a reassuringly familiar telepathic presence in his mind. Kevin must have felt his uneasiness.

[Professor Galt,] Alex 'pathed, [He's here. I'm sure it's him.] He took another swig of half-cold coffee, in an effort to stay calm. The last thing that he needed was to 'wig out', as Megabyte liked to call it, and let his weird power kick in. Professor Galt would be delighted to find out that he was sitting next to a Tomorrow Person, of that Alex was sure.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Roger echoed Kevin's concern. 

"Yes, thanks. Sorry, I was miles away." Alex looked up to find both Roger and Galt staring at him. 

Galt had his hand proffered and was waiting for a proper introduction. "Professor John Galt."

"Alex MacDonald. Pleased to meet you." Trotting out the introduction niceties almost automatically, Alex felt his temper flare. There was no way in hell that he would ever be pleased to meet someone who had once tried to /hurt/ Kevin and their friends. 

[Alex, get out of there.] Alex could feel Kevin's increasing panic affecting him through their connection, and his fingers tightened around the coffee cup. Taking one last swig of coffee, he grimaced as the nearly cold bitter liquid went down. He was unsure why he persisted in drinking it; even with all the sugar that he'd added, he didn't really like the taste. 

[Are you sure it's Galt?] Adam asked. Alex wasn't surprised to hear him. Kevin would have told the others the moment that he'd realised what was happening. Depending on what Galt's plans were, they could all be in danger. 

[Yes, I'm sure,] Alex replied. Any doubts had vanished, once Galt had introduced himself. [Do you want me to try to find out what he's here for?] Galt had disappeared long before Alex had broken out and become a Tomorrow Person; it was very unlikely that Galt even knew of his existence. 

"I'll be running some rather unusual tests on some of the children later this afternoon." Galt had started to explain the reason for his visit without any prompting.

"Tests?" asked Alex, certain that he wasn't going to like the answer.

Behind Galt, Roger rolled his eyes. "Professor Galt's organisation is running random psychic testing in some of the local schools. He has a theory that eventually mankind will use those parts of the brain that we don't now, and that maybe some children have that capacity already." 

"Psychic powers?" asked Alex, trying to sound as though he didn't have a clue what the words meant. He didn't want to think about what Galt's plans might be if he /did/ find any future Tomorrow People.

"Telepathy. Teleportation. That sort of thing." Finding a potential audience for his ideas was only serving to fuel the scientist's enthusiasm. If only Galt knew the reason behind Alex's interest. 

Roger interrupted. "Personally, I think he's on a wild goose chase. But we've been asked to cooperate by the Education Department, so we're going to help the Professor in anyway we can. " He paused. "Alex, maybe you could help him set things up after morning tea? After all, he's starting with the class you're in today."

[You can't, it's too dangerous. Alex, you need to get out. You need to get out now!] Kevin's telepathic protests cut across the spoken conversation that Alex was trying to follow. 

[It's not worth the risk,] Adam agreed. 

[The guy's a psycho. Make some excuse and leave,] Megabyte interjected. [I'm going to let Dad know that the Nutty Professor's surfaced again.]

"I've been developing this rather interesting device." Galt was still talking, unaware that his audience was pre-occupied.

Alex forced himself to ignore the telepathic conversation going on in his mind. "Device?"

"Oh, it's perfectly safe," Galt reached into his briefcase, and pulled out a small black box. "See this," he pointed to the gauge on the side of the box. "It measures telepathic activity and a person's psychic aura. We all have them, you know, but they're a lot stronger in some people than in others." Galt beamed. "The device also emits a high pitched sound that can only be heard by a true telepath. Of course the problem is that I've never really had a chance to test it." 

Forcing himself to his feet, Alex fought the urge to teleport. "I suppose that's because you've never met one," he said slowly, trying to stay calm.

"Well, actually I have," said Galt excitedly, ignoring the look of disbelief that Roger was giving him. Glancing around, Alex realised that there was no one else in the room; he had been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed that the other teachers had finished their break and returned to their classes. 

[Get out of there, Alex. Make some excuse and get out now!] Kevin sounded frantic.

"Oh?" said Alex, unsure of what to say. The door suddenly seemed to be a lot further away than it had been mere moments before.

"It was quite a few years ago now, though," Galt explained. "Of course the trouble is that I didn't have /this/ then, and I have no idea how they would have reacted to this simple flick of a switch." He casually reached over and flicked one of the switches on top of the box.

Alex tensed, waiting for something to happen.

When nothing did, he relaxed again.

"Silly me," said Galt. "I forgot to turn the power on." He ran his hand over the device and pushed the single red button in the centre.

Almost instantaneously, a loud whining noise filled the room. Alex swayed and saw, rather than heard, the empty cup in his hand fall to the floor and shatter into tiny pieces. It was like watching a slow motion film. 

[Alex?] Suddenly there wasn't just Kevin's voice in his mind, but a million others, screaming at him. The noise was unbearable.

Sinking to his knees, Alex was dimly aware of Roger behind him. "Turn. It. Off," he heard himself scream. He covered his ears with his hands, knowing that it couldn't stop the noise, but desperately hoping that it would. The room began to lurch sickeningly and he waited for the coming blackness to claim him. 

Instead, there was a barely audible click, and the torment was gone as suddenly as it had arrived. 

"Alex?" Roger helped him to his feet. 

His stomach heaving, Alex grabbed the side of the coffee table for support. He was shaking. Straightening his glasses, he looked over at Galt. The scientist's initial expression of scientific curiosity was quickly replaced by one of cold satisfaction. 

"Don't even think of teleporting, Mr. MacDonald," Galt said, his finger poised over the device in his hands. "I doubt you'd have much success with the state that you're in anyway."

Roger looked at Alex, towards Galt, and then back at Alex again. "What the hell is going on here?" 

"Unless of course, you'd like a second dose?" Galt ignored Roger's question and moved his hand over the device again. He adjusted a small dial to the left of the red button. 

There was no point in trying to deny the obvious. "No, I won't teleport," Alex told him. Reaching out telepathically, he tried to ignore the feeling that a part of him was missing. He needed to regain some sense of Kevin's presence; losing that for the first time since they'd bonded was scaring him. 

A sharp pain seared through his head, and he grabbed at the table to steady himself. 

"I've left the device on level one," Galt sneered. "Any attempt to use your powers will only cause you pain." His lips curled into a smug grin. "Thank you for your assistance in proving my theories. I've waited a long time for this moment."

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Roger snapped, walking towards the door. "I'm going to call a doctor for this young man." 

"That won't be necessary," Galt said, stepping in front of him. He drew a gun from his coat pocket and laughed. "As to what's going on, I think that's rather obvious." The look in his eyes reminded Alex of one of his biology teachers at college – just before the man had lectured the class on the correct way to dissect a lab rat. "I've managed to catch myself a Tomorrow Person."

"What's a Tomorrow Person?" asked Roger

As though in answer, there was a loud popping noise, and a familiar figure solidified in front of him. 

"Kevin," Alex whispered, as his lover staggered from the effects of Galt's machine. 

"And then there were two," said Galt, smirking. "That, Mr. Henderson, is a Tomorrow Person." 

********

"Kevin? Did you hear what I just said?" 

"What?" Kevin replied automatically. He'd almost forgotten that he was at the SGC; the diagram that he and Sam had been discussing was the least of his concerns. 

[Get out of there, Alex.] /_Get out of the damn room and teleport. Just put one foot in front of the other and walk out the door. At least that way you'll be safe_./ [Make some excuse and get out now.] Kevin slammed the textbook that he had been skimming through onto the table; the sound echoed through Sam's lab like a gunshot. [Make some excuse and get out now!]

Jumbled thoughts rushed across his mind. Device? What device? 

What the hell was Alex still doing there if Galt had a device? 

Tension, followed by relief. 

That had to be a good sign. Didn't it?

Then why wasn't Alex answering? 

[Alex!] Why wasn't he answering? 

Instead of the reply that he had hoped for, Kevin felt a wave of excruciating pain, and he grabbed the table for support. Alex. It had to be Alex. Closing his eyes, Kevin focused his mind on Alex and reached for him telepathically. But instead of the awareness which he expected - the whisper touches against his consciousness - there was nothing. The psychic thread that had joined them for the past fourteen months had been cut. But by what? 

"Kevin, are you okay?" Sam laid a hand on his arm, but Kevin shook it free. He didn't have time to explain, didn't want to put his fears into words. Once he did, they would be real.

He couldn't take that chance. 

"Alex?" Kevin whispered the name aloud as he focused his thoughts. Drawing a mental picture of Alex in his mind, he remembered the feel of his lover's skin under his fingers before they'd said goodbye that morning. 

Something must be interfering with Alex's powers. It wouldn't be the first time that Galt had built such a machine. The alternative was…

No! Kevin shook his head, and reached out telepathically, frantically looking for something, anything to reassure himself.

[Kevin?] Was that…? Could it be? 

[Kevin. No!] Ignoring Adam's warning, Kevin followed the faint telepathic tendril. Grasping it with his mind, he allowed it to pull him into a possible darkness, and teleported. 

Intent on finding Alex, Kevin quickly glanced around the room in which he found himself. The other boy was leaning against a small wooden table and attempting to pull himself to his feet. He was pale and shaking. 

What the hell had Galt done to him? Kevin clenched his hand and then unclenched it again. 

[Alex,] he 'pathed, trying to reassure his lover through their shared bond. 

A sharp pain seared through Kevin's head, and he staggered. Reaching out to find something to steady himself against, he heard Alex's voice. "Kevin." It was little more than a whisper. 

__

/I can't feel him. I'm in the same room, and I can't feel him./

"And then there were two." Galt hadn't changed much over the past ten years, apart from the white streaks in what had been previously black hair. Time had been kind to him; it was far more than he deserved. "That, Mr. Henderson," Galt told the other man in the room, "is a Tomorrow Person." 

The scientist stared at Kevin, who looked away in disgust. He wasn't in the mood to play lab rat. "I've already warned your friend not to use his powers. I do hope you're not going to make it necessary for me to repeat myself." Galt frowned. "Have we met before?" 

Kevin ignored him and walked over to Alex. "Are you okay?" he whispered, putting his arms around the other boy. A tiny portion of his mind screamed that he shouldn't; allowing Galt to know about their relationship would be dangerous, but Kevin didn't care. He needed to be able to feel Alex, to touch him, to replace the loss of their psychic connection by any means necessary. 

Smooth fingers moved over his face, caressing, exploring as though for the first time. "Kevin, I can't feel you." Alex's eyes mirrored Kevin's own sense of loss.

Nodding, Kevin reached up to kiss him on the forehead. He could feel the beads of perspiration under his lips; Alex was scared. They both were. "I know, Alex, I know." He pulled Alex into an embrace and held him tightly. 

"Quite the touching reunion," Galt sniggered. "I take it the two of you are…involved." It was impossible to miss the underlying contempt as he spat out the word. 

Kevin grew cold. He might have found Alex, but now they were both in danger. Turning his attention back to Alex, he tried to stay calm and to ignore the growing fear in his lover's eyes. The same fear that he knew was in his own. 

==============

End of Chapter One

TBC

==============


	2. Chapter Two

Together Alone (2/?)

by Anne Olsen

Rating/Warnings: OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) – PG13 – action, drama, angst, romance, slash, het. SPOILERS.

Author's notes: This fic is part of the Tears in Heaven series which can be found here – also contains SPOILERS, as I'm writing the series out of order, and 'Together Alone' is set about three years after the last posted story 'Murphy's Law'.

Adam and Lisa are now married and have a son, Will. Jade and Megabyte have been a couple since the events of 'Reality Bytes', and Kevin and Alex finally admitted their feelings towards each other in 'Fairest Joys Give Most Unrest'.

Pairings: Kevin/Alex, Megabyte/Jade, Adam/Lisa.

Summary: A day of teaching in a local school turns out to be not quite the experience Alex was expecting when he happens across an experiment being conducted by an old enemy of the Tomorrow People.

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People belong to Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra and ITV television. Stargate SG1 are owned by Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Products. Highlander is the property of Panzer/Davis, Rysher/Gaumount Television.

I promise to return the characters in one piece, more or less, when I'm finished, but hold no liability for any physical injury or psychological trauma sustained by them in my fiction.

Alex MacDonald belongs to me and shouldn't be used without permission.

Thanks to: The beta reading team – Lady Shadowphyre (TiH's godmother), haraamis, Anon, and Jason (TiH's godfather). Also to Misanagi for all her support/encouragement. She doesn't really stalk; it's just an urban myth.

[ ] indicates telepathy

Please send comments to: anneo paradise.net.nz

=====================================================

Chapter Two

"Galt? I thought we'd seen the last of that bungling idiot."

Megabyte nodded. "Alex was sure it was him." Even though his father had called Galt a 'bungling idiot,' the memories Megabyte had of the scientist didn't quite fit that description. He shivered, remembering his experiences at Galt's hands years before, even before he'd become a Tomorrow Person.

"How could Alex be sure?" Damon wasn't convinced. "He's never met the guy."

"The bond." Megabyte rolled his eyes. "You remember that thing?"

"I remember the bond, Megabyte, but it's /one/ of those explanations I'm still waiting for." The older man sighed, his tone a clear reminder that it was only one of several questions that his son and the other Tomorrow People had managed to sidestep.

"Alex would be able to access Kev's memories of Galt," Megabyte explained, ignoring his father's sarcasm. Hopefully Galt hadn't developed any more fun gadgets like the force field that had trapped Lisa. Megabyte had enough nightmares; he didn't want more to add to the collection. Why couldn't people like Galt just leave the Tomorrow People the hell alone? "What's that psycho up to now? You'd think a New Zealand school would be safe." As soon as he'd spoken, Megabyte realised how naïve the sentiment was.

"That's an interesting definition of safe." Damon raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I suppose it's too much to hope for that Alex isn't still there?"

"Yes, it is." Megabyte flopped into the chair in front of his father's desk. "But what is he supposed to do? Teleport with Galt sitting next to him?"

"No, but there's this old-fashioned mode of transportation that some of us use occasionally. It's called walking."

Megabyte shot his father a glare, but before he could retort, there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, General Damon, but I need you to sign these papers." The secretary entered the room without waiting for a reply to her knock and placed a folder on the desk. Her long blonde hair fell forward and she flicked it behind her shoulder. Megabyte had made the mistake once of mentioning how it must be a nuisance having hair that long and she had made it perfectly clear that the way she wore her hair was her business; Jade at least kept hers short and out of the way. "Oh, I'm sorry," Dorothy said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay, Dorothy," Damon replied in a weary tone. "I'll deal with them later. I'm rather busy at the moment."

"Very good, sir." Dorothy gave Megabyte a smile, and he forced himself to return it. "Enjoy your visit. Good-bye, young man. Nice to see you again." She gave her boss a nod, and left the room.

"I don't…" Megabyte started to say.

[Alex!] Kevin sounded frantic.

Megabyte reached out telepathically to his friend, and an echo of pain ran through him. The room spun momentarily. He gripped the side of his chair to steady himself.

"Megabyte, are you okay?" Damon was out of his chair and on his feet in an instant.

[Kevin. No!] Adam's telepathic warning reverberated inside Megabyte's head, but there was no reply.

[Kevin?] Megabyte 'pathed, adding his worried question to that of the others. Whatever had happened, they'd all felt it. Megabyte rose to his feet, only to be hit by another, stronger flash of pain. Damn it. What the hell was going on?

Putting out his arms to stop himself from falling, he would have slammed into the desk, had his father not been there to support him. "Thanks," he said weakly, opening his eyes again to focus on his surroundings.

"What the hell's going on?" Damon sounded worried. "It's Galt isn't it?"

"Give me a sec, okay?" Megabyte could feel the guilt coming from Adam in waves, before his friend slammed down his mental shields. It wasn't Adam's fault. They all should have realised that Kevin would go after Alex, but Adam wouldn't listen to reason, so Megabyte wasn't going to waste his breath arguing over it. If anyone should be feeling guilty, it should be him. He should have known what Kevin's reaction would be at the thought of Alex being alone with that psycho, but no, Megabyte's first thought had been to warn his father. How could he have been so stupid?

A reassuring telepathic touch brushed against his mind. Jade had been picking up on his thoughts and the way he was feeling.

"Megabyte?" Damon had that familiar 'I know that I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear' look on his face. He was also growing impatient.

After exchanging a few comments with the other Tomorrow People, Megabyte psyched himself up to answer his father. "Kev's gone after Alex, Dad, and now we can't contact either of them." He shook his head. "I should have realised what he would do; I should have tried to stop him." Both he and Adam knew from experience what it was like to lose awareness of your partner. [1] Kevin would have gone to Alex whatever the risk might be. The urge to reconnect their bond took precedence over anything else.

"I hope none of you are getting any brilliant ideas of heading into the lion's den." Damon frowned. "If Galt has both of them, and has found a way to negate your powers, the last thing we need is to provide him with more Tomorrow People to experiment on."

"I know that, Dad. And thanks for the reminder about Galt. I really needed that."

"There's no need for sarcasm, Megabyte," his father chastised him. "And I know you're worried. So am I."

"I know that," Megabyte said. "Sorry." He paused. "The others are on their way." As though on cue, Jade materialised in front of him, and he put an arm around her. "Hey," he said to her softly, kissing her on the cheek. "We'll get them back, don't worry."

[I'll be another ten minutes,] 'pathed Lisa. [I'm just settling Will down for his nap before I leave him with Joe.] Joe Dawson seemed to enjoy his role of chief babysitter for the Newmans. But then, watching a toddler wasn't that much different from watching Immortals, even if there were certain people who might protest against the comparison.

Megabyte wondered where Methos was. Even if Galt was working alone, which he doubted, they were going to need help. He shivered, and Jade moved closer, sensing the old memories rising to the surface.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back," she whispered to him, echoing what he'd told her only moments before. He pulled her into an embrace. If Galt had gotten hold of his Jade, instead of Alex, he would have acted in the same way Kevin had.

His father had moved away discretely, to give them some privacy. He jumped and muttered something under his breath as Ami materialised in front of his desk. "Hello, Ami," he said, giving her a nod. "The gang's almost all here, I see."

"Hello, General Damon," Ami replied, almost absently. She sounded preoccupied, and her voice was strained. "Adam's on his way; he's talking to Sam."

"Adam, what's going on?" Sam wasn't surprised to see Adam materialise seconds after Kevin's panicked departure. Alex was in trouble, of that much she was certain. Even if Kevin hadn't screamed his lover's name before he'd vanished, she'd seen enough of the bond between the two young men to know that if something had happened to one of them, it would affect the other.

Adam swayed and grabbed at the table. A repeat performance of Kevin's action was not a good sign and did nothing to put her mind at ease.

"Adam?"

He glanced over at her and his eyes glazed over. Several moments passed before he spoke. "I'm too late. Damn it, I should have known."

"Adam?" she repeated.

"I'm okay." He gave her a shaky smile. "But I'm not so sure about Kevin and Alex." Quickly, Adam explained what had happened. "I don't know what exactly Galt's done but…"

"It can't be anything good," Sam finished. Kevin had spoken about Galt before; he and Sam had talked several times about what it was like to be a Tomorrow Person and to be different. "So, how did Galt end up choosing a New Zealand school as the base for his experiments?" Alex had been nervous about his first day of teaching; he'd called in briefly to see Kevin. Their relationship was a strong one. Hopefully Galt wouldn't discover that they were a couple; if he did she doubted that he would hesitate in using it against them.

"I have no idea." Adam shrugged. "Maybe he thought that it was a safe place to carry out his experiments without being noticed?" He sighed. "All we're trying to do is to get on with our lives and survive. But as long as there are people like Galt out there, we're always going to have to look over our shoulder."

"Not everyone is like Galt, Adam," Sam reminded him. "You have friends who believe in you."

"We know that, Sam, and we appreciate it. But I worry about our future." Adam's voice dropped to a whisper. "I want to think that my son will be safe; that he won't have to always hide who and what he is the same way that we do." His tone changed; he was angry with himself. "I should have insisted that Alex left as soon as he mentioned that Galt was there. Galt's a psycho; he's been hunting Tomorrow People for years, and now he has two." Adam muttered something under his breath. "If only I'd acted sooner."

"This is not your fault," Sam told him firmly. Adam saw himself as the de facto leader of the Tomorrow People and took those responsibilities very seriously; too seriously at times. He couldn't afford to do that now. They didn't have time. Kevin and Alex didn't have time. "We need to formulate a rescue plan. How can I help?"

Adam looked surprised. "Help?"

"Help," Sam repeated. "Galt has the boys and has obviously found a way to negate their powers. If you go after them, what's to stop him targeting any of you with whatever technology he's using."

"Nothing." Adam stared at the floor for a moment. "I hate this. What use are these powers if we can't use them to protect the people we care about?"

"You don't need powers to protect those you care about," Sam said.

"I know that," Adam replied, "but it's not as simple as that."

"Nothing ever is." Sam knew that he was referring to his inability to kill, but that was a conversation for another time. "I'm going to explain the situation to General Hammond, and then I'll help you in any way I can." She paused at the door to the lab, waiting for him to catch up. "It's going to be okay, Adam. They'll be okay. Take one step at a time and think positive."

"Thanks, Sam." Adam followed her out into the corridor. "I just hope that we're in time."

"We will be," Sam told him. "We have to be."

Rob knocked on the door to Roger's office again, opening it and peering inside when there was no reply. He frowned. It wasn't like the principal to miss appointments. Glancing at his watch, he decided to look in the staff room. If Roger wasn't there, they would have to reschedule; Jill couldn't be expected to look after an extra class for the entire choir practice.

Approaching the staff room, he heard voices and a weird high pitched whining noise, faint but similar to that of a dog whistle.

"Roger?" he asked, pushing the partially open door and walking inside. Three heads turned in his direction.

"Mr. Henderson isn't here at present." The older, dark-skinned man sounded annoyed at the interruption. "I will be there shortly," he continued speaking into his cell-phone. "Yes, that sounds perfect. And yes, I have the situation well under control." He finished the call and put the phone in his pocket.

Alex and the young man sitting next to him exchanged a glance. "Roger's not here," Alex said slowly; there was a slight tremble in his voice. "You could try his office."

"I already have," Rob replied. He took a step closer, and the dark-skinned man glared at him. "You're Professor Galt, right?" They had been briefed about his visit during last week's staff meeting.

Galt nodded. "Yes, I am. And I'm rather busy at the moment, so if you'll excuse me." He waved his hand. "I've already told you that Mr. Henderson isn't here. Why don't you go and play nursery maid or whatever it is that teachers do these days?"

"Do you know where Mr. Henderson is?" Rob decided that he didn't like the scientist. "Alex, would you head over to the hall and help with the choir practice? They're already one teacher down so if you could…"

"No." Galt shook his head. "He's not free at the moment." He chuckled over some private joke. "You'll just have to manage without him."

"Have you looked for Mr. Henderson in one of the other classrooms?" The man next to Alex spoke for the first time. His British accent portrayed his origins, but although his tone was calm, the smile he gave Rob was strained.

"I'll just wait here for him." There was a clear view of the corridor outside Roger's office from the staff room, and it made more sense to give the principal a few more minutes before starting a school wide search. It would also give him an excuse to keep an eye on Galt until he had a chance to talk to Roger. Galt's attitude needed some serious attention, and Rob didn't appreciate his authority being undermined. Making a point of not introducing himself to Galt, he held out his hand to the younger man instead. "I don't believe that we've been introduced. I'm Rob Smothers, the assistant principal here at St. Mark's. Are you working for the Professor?"

It was difficult to miss the shudder the man gave. "Kevin Wilson. Nice to meet you, Rob." Kevin shook Rob's hand but didn't stand. He was slim and wiry, older than Alex perhaps by a few years, but not as tall. "And no, I'm not working for the Professor. I'm just…passing through." A flash of pain crossed the brunet's face, and he winced. Alex moved closer to Kevin, the knuckles on his hand white as he gripped the side of his chair.

Torn between concern and good manners, Rob helped himself to a seat. "So how long do you expect these experiments to take, Professor?" He glanced at his watch again. "Alex, I'll stay here and help the Professor set up his equipment while I wait for Roger. Could you go and see what's keeping him please?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Galt moved closer to Alex and went to place a hand on his shoulder. Alex pulled away from the contact. He seemed nervous, almost fearful of the older man. Kevin leaned forward in his seat, his weight shifting onto the balls of his feet. "Mr. MacDonald has already decided to help me with my experiments. In fact, he's going to play a vital part." Galt shook his head. "If you're so keen to find Mr. Henderson you're going to have to look for him yourself."

"I've already asked Alex," Rob reminded him. Galt might be a visitor to the school but that didn't give him the right to dictate his demands to a member of its staff. "He's not working for you, he's a teacher at this school. I know that we've been asked to cooperate with you over this project, but cooperation is supposed to go both ways."

"Rob, please," Alex interrupted. "I can't…" He straightened his glasses and spoke again, this time more firmly. "I'm sure Roger's in one of the classrooms. It will be faster if you go look for him yourself."

Galt nodded. "Quite right. I'll just finish packing up my equipment so that I can move it, shall I?" He smiled at Alex. "You can help me, like you promised."

"/I'll/ help you," Kevin said, glaring at Galt. He seemed determined to keep some distance between Alex and the scientist. What the hell was going on here?

"Kevin…It's okay." Alex stood. "He asked me, I'll do it." Although shaky on his feet, he sounded determined. A look passed between the two men, and Galt rolled his eyes.

"Are you feeling alright, Alex?" Rob asked, realisation growing that he was definitely missing something. Both Alex and Kevin appeared to be trying to get him to leave; if they were hiding something he needed to find out what it was. "Maybe you should go home if you're not well."

Kevin muttered something under his breath. "Go find Roger, Rob. Please." He pulled himself out his chair slowly, pausing for a moment to lean on the coffee table. Whatever the cause of Alex's apparent sudden illness was, it appeared that he wasn't the only one who was affected.

"There's a nasty stomach virus doing the rounds," Rob voiced the only explanation he could think of. "We've had a lot of children down with it of late." He paused, trying to figure out a way to discover what was going on without asking directly, as his previous questions had all been sidestepped neatly. "What did you say your business here at the school was, Kevin?"

"I didn't." Kevin glanced over at Galt who was watching Alex intently. Cautiously, he began edging down the table. "I came to help a friend, that's all."

"Don't even think about it," Galt said coldly, taking a step forward so that he was directly standing behind Alex. Kevin stopped, his hand hovering over the black box sitting on the table, and then he slowly raised both hands to show that he had no intention of touching it.

"I've heard about you guys being over protective of your equipment but don't you think you're going a bit over board?" Rob picked up the box and examined it carefully. It was time to start getting some answers. "Is this the thing causing that annoying noise?" It was beginning to get on his nerves, even more so than Galt.

"You can hear it?" Galt sounded smug. "I do believe that this is my lucky day."

Kevin let out a sharp breath.

"That high pitched whining noise?" Rob nodded. "Yes, I can hear it."

"Put the box down and step away from the table, Mr. Smothers," Galt ordered, shaking his head. "You people are idiots, thinking that you could fool me like that."

"You're the bloody idiot," Kevin muttered. "He's not one of us, Galt. Let him go."

"Oh, I don't think so," Galt retorted. "And I think I asked you to put the box down." He stepped sideways to show that he had a gun in his hand, before placing it against Alex's temple.

"Rob, please," Kevin said, his hands still where Galt could see them. Had he known all along that Galt possessed a weapon? It would explain his and Alex's earlier nervousness and strange behaviour.

"Put it down now, or I'll put a nice clean hole through his head." Galt laughed. "While I'd prefer him alive, I already have live specimens, and I've always wanted to do a proper autopsy on one of your kind."

"What the hell is going on here?" Rob stared at Galt and the gun in his hand, realising too late, that he should have listened to his instincts. "Who are you?"

"Put the box down, Mr. Smothers, or I'll blow your friend's brains out." Galt's finger tightened on the trigger and Alex closed his eyes. "Don't play the innocent with me; it won't work."

Rob put the box down carefully. Whatever this nut was smoking, it wasn't worth risking a life over. "What," he repeated slowly, as though addressing a five year old, "is going on?"

"Now, now, I've already told you not to play the innocent." Galt smiled and lowered the gun, but not before grabbing Alex by his collar and pulling him close. Kevin took a step forward, and Galt tsked and raised the gun again. "Come now, I would have thought that you valued your boyfriend's life more than that." Galt sniggered. "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that how you fags refer to your…significant other?"

"Partner," Kevin said quietly. "He's my partner. Put down the gun, Galt. I won't do anything, I promise."

"Partner?" Rob looked at Kevin and then at Alex, the body language he'd observed between them finally making sense. No wonder they had been so protective of each other, with this lunatic in the room. He turned his attention back to Galt. "You're doing this because they're gay?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy. You can't pull a gun on someone because of his sexual orientation. Put down your weapon, Galt. Let's talk about this reasonably."

Kevin placed a warning hand on Rob's arm. "This isn't because of that. Please, you don't understand." He turned to Galt. "He's not a Tomorrow Person, you have to let him go. You have us. Please."

"What's a Tomorrow Person?" Rob asked, wondering if he should have taken the earlier hints about leaving. But, even though that, in hindsight, would have been wiser, he still wanted to know what Galt's agenda was. His wife had once told him that his curiosity would be the death of him. Watching Galt's finger on the trigger of the gun, Rob hoped that she wasn't about to be proven right.

"No," Galt said, ignoring Rob's question. "Why should I believe you? I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

"You're more than just an idiot, Galt," Kevin's voice rose in pitch. "You're a fucking psycho. What the hell Masters ever saw in you, I'll never know."

"Kevin, don't." Alex whispered, but Kevin wasn't listening.

"Megabyte wasn't a Tomorrow Person when you captured him. Rob isn't a Tomorrow Person. Just because he can hear the noise doesn't mean that he's one of us. Your machines always have a flaw, Galt, and this is just one of them." Kevin gave Alex an apologetic look. "Turn up the machine, and see if it affects him the same way it affects us. It won't."

"What's a Tomorrow Person?" Rob asked again, his mind working through scenarios to convince Galt to lower his weapon. Whatever reality the scientist was living in, it sounded as though Kevin, at least, was buying into it.

Galt snorted. "Turn up the machine, and incapacitate you? Do I look stupid?" He gazed at Kevin thoughtfully. "I thought you seemed familiar. So the annoying kid who teleported and distracted Gloria so that young Damon could smash my machine has all grown up? I think I'm going to take great delight in using you to test my theories."

"Teleported?" Rob shook his head. He backed towards the door, deciding to take advantage of the fact that he was being ignored. While Kevin and Galt were arguing, this seemed like a good time to take the opportunity to leave.

"Going somewhere?" Galt looked up, and Rob froze like a deer in headlights.

/Bloody hell./ Rob's mouth went dry.

"Well, actually you are, but you need to learn to stay with the class, Mr. Smothers," Galt continued. "We're going on a little field trip to meet some friends."

"Field trip?" Rob echoed, hoping that this particular episode of the Twilight Zone didn't have an ending typical to that series. "Look, Galt, I don't know what you're on, but I'm not a part of this. Let me go; let us all go, and I won't call the police. I promise."

"He doesn't care about the police," Kevin said bitterly. "He's looking for guinea pigs for his science experiments." He gave Rob a shaky smile. "I'm sorry that you've got involved in this; it's our fight, not yours."

Keeping his gun aimed at them, Galt pushed Alex towards Kevin and then placed several objects in his briefcase. "It's not your fault, Kevin, it's mine." Alex whispered, stroking Kevin's cheek before the other man pulled him into an embrace. "I can't…" He sounded frustrated. "I want…"

"I know," Kevin replied in the same low voice. Rob could barely hear them. "So do I." He kissed Alex gently.

Didn't they realise that flaunting their relationship in front of this homophobe would only make things worse?

"We're not…" Keeping his voice barely above the whisper he'd used with Alex, Kevin glanced over towards Galt before speaking to Rob. "I can't explain, but…" His breathing seemed somewhat irregular, and he kept looking at Alex and wetting his lips. They didn't seem to be able to keep their hands off each other.

Rob nodded, pretending he understood. He wasn't sure how to respond, but knew that this wasn't the time or place for Kevin and Alex to be giving into their overactive libidos. However, warning them about it now would only help to draw Galt's attention to their behaviour.

"Time to go, boys," Galt announced, slipping the black box into his briefcase. ""It transmits perfectly well through solid matter," he announced proudly before pointing his gun at Alex again. Reluctantly disentangling himself from Kevin, Alex took a step forward, but Galt shook his head and grinned. "No, I don't think so. I've decided that because your boyfriend's…excuse me…partner's behaviour is somewhat erratic he can play the hostage." He motioned with the gun. "We're all going for a nice car ride, and you, Mr. MacDonald, are going to drive" He sighed. "Please don't try to play the hero, or you'll force me to inflict some serious pain on my old friend. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes," said Alex. Kevin slowly walked over to Galt and allowed his arms to be pulled behind him. Galt secured them with handcuffs that he'd produced from his briefcase. "I understand you perfectly."

"And you, Mr. Smothers." Galt pushed his gun into the small of Kevin's back and then placed his coat over his arm to hide it. "You're not going to do anything silly either now, are you?"

Rob glanced between his two new friends, giving them the nod of reassurance rather than Galt. Whatever happened he had no intention of playing the hero. For the moment, at least, Galt held the upper hand, and until that changed Rob had every intention of humouring him and feigning co-operation.

"No," he said quietly, knowing that his future depended on Galt believing him. "I won't."

Notes:

[1] Refers to events taking place in 'Reflections', another fic set earlier in the TiH timeline.

End of Chapter Two

TBC


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